ZIP 52161 vs ZIP 52133

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52161 (Ossian, IA) and ZIP 52133 (Castalia, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52161 has a population of 1,505 at 11 people per square mile, while ZIP 52133 has 558 at 5 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 52161 reports a median household income of $87,870 against $76,250 in ZIP 52133, with per-capita income of $35,016 vs $34,992. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.3% in 52161 and 11.3% in 52133. Poverty rate reads 11.5% vs 1.6%, and unemployment 2.7% vs 0.0% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $171,400 in 52161 versus $246,100 in 52133, with median rent of $781 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.8% vs 92.2%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.